I stay hidden. It's been a while since I've opened up the closet even for just a bit. It's warm-not too warm, but warm enough.

They've stopped looking for me outside but I know they're going to resume the search soon because I think they can sense me.

Deep down, I know they think I'm here. I want them to think that I've vanished. Vanished somewhere far beyond what they're capable of perceiving.

...

The noises grow louder. Right now, I can actually hear them on the other side of the room-moving. They're talking now, talking about eating and setting the table. They must be in the dining room then.

I'm hungry too. My stomach is growling and so I put my palm over it. It does nothing.

Maybe I might have a chance to vanish after all. I think about opening the closet, but I don't, not until I'm sure that all of them are sitting on the dining room table.

I hear more movement on the other side. Is it Mr. Darris? It could be. The noises are getting louder and I can somewhat make out what he said: Put that fuckin' fork down and go wash your hands? You hear me? I'll cut your fingers off and feed them to Kip. Go wash your damn hands.

I feel a sudden tingling in my gut as I hear the sound of footsteps going in one direction. Then, I hear a thump.

Mr. Darris must've finally sat with the rest of the family while Justin went to wash his hands.

What if Justin doesn't wash his hands...?

I start to put pressure on the closet, only enough for me to see that the room that was once lit up with candles and other lamps is dark.

That's right. The power must've gone out. It must be like this in all of Harborfield. I don't think I'm going to make it out alive...

I catch my breath. I can't say stuff like that now, not when I've made it this far.

As I close the closet doors slowly, they don't make too much of a sound.

Now, I have to wait until Justin gets back from the bathroom after washing his hands. Hopefully, this doesn't take too long.

...

I hear more steps coming from the hallway. Justin has finally washed his hands, but now there's a certainty in my gut that Justin is going to barge in this room, open the closet, and find me. Then, I'm dead.

Instead, nothing happens, like usual. I just keep on hearing footsteps until they stop and all I hear is one more thump then a bunch of muffled sounds.

Should I wait some more?

I wait just a little more, then, I realize that I have to make my move now. I put my hands on the closet doors and started to push against it. Eventually, the doors were open enough for me to go through, and luckily I only had socks on to minimize the noise.

I made a couple of steps across the room and I already heard them arguing.

I try not to worry about it too much.

Before I reach the door, I grab the keys on the table to the latch that's underneath the stairs. I'll never know when I'll need it.

Once I get close to the door, I hear someone else sitting down on the dining room chair. That must've been Justin. I start to turn the door knob and think of all the possibilities that could happen.

I continue to turn the knob until I can't turn it anymore, then, I start to crouch outside of the room and make sure that there's no one who can see me. There are a lot of small tables in the hallway that I could hide under: all of them having some sort of cloth that covers the table underneath from top to bottom.

I use this advantage to sneak underneath the table and make sure that there is no one who saw me go under. Now, I just need to wait for the right time to sneak back out and head to the basement. There's a vent down there and I'm sure of it, because I used to go down and crouch through there every once in a while if I was playing hide and seek or I wanted some time alone.

There's a good chance that they've already looked down there, but I don't think they're going to be expecting me to go down there again...but, they can still sense me somehow...

There's a knock. A big knock on a window. What could it have been? Was it a salesperson? Another relative of the family that I don't even know about?

I hear more footsteps from the dining room and I start to panic a little, but no matter what, I'm completely still.

"GET OFF MY PROPERTY OR ELSE I'LL COME OUTSIDE AND BASH YOUR HEAD IN!" Mr. Darris screamed.

I twitched a little as soon as he started yelling, then, there was more knocking. Mr. Darris probably had enough. I heard him get up from his dining chair, walk down the hallway and eventually go past me to reach the window that someone had been knocking on. Why didn't they just knock on the front door?

Mr. Darris presumably stood there for some time without saying a word, then I heard him punch the window.

"Damn reflection. Why do I look younger when I look at myself? Whatever, this ain't a dream, and I'm angry...JUSTIN! WHERE'S MY BAT! HAND ME MY BAT! YOU SHIT!" Mr. Darris screamed.

I heard someone else get up from the dining table and go walk somewhere else. However, Mr. Darris was still standing in the hallway, waiting for Justin to return with his bat. When Justin returned with something to give to Mr. Darris, Mr. Darris had lashed back.

"YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING IDIOT! THIS IS A KNIFE! NOT A BAT! I'LL PUNISH YOU FOR IT!" Mr. Darris yelled.

Mr. Darris slammed Justin against the wall. They were so close to me, so I also felt the vibration of it too. My heart was racing and I couldn't breath...my asthma was kicking in. I tried so hard to hold it in, and I didn't care if it hurt-I didn't want to die.

I felt Mr. Darris slammed Justin on top of the table that I was hiding underneath.

"AGH...!" Justin screamed.

I covered my mouth.

"STAY STILL!"

"AHHHH...!"

I heard chopping noises and I closed my eyes. I was feeling the vibration of Mr. Darris presumably chopping Justin's fingers off. Then, it was over, but Justin was screaming louder than before. There were ten chops-so that meant all of his fingers. The smell of blood eventually got to me, but I still covered my mouth.

"Next time, bring me my bat, or I'll go for your toes." Mr. Darris said, presumably walking away.

Justin stood leaning on the table, crying, crying like a maniac.

I almost couldn't bear it.

...

The footsteps of Justin going somewhere else almost shook me. I try to wrap my head around the idea that someone else, at least a sane person, could've been walking outside and still be alive.

It's not one of those weird animals for sure. If it was, they would've shattered the window with their knocking.

I listen out for more noise near the dining room area. The only thing I can hear is muffled talking-all the same.

For some reason, my foot hurts, and I try to adjust it without touching the table or the cloth, but I hear someone get up from the dining room table and I completely stop.

"LET ME WATCH MY TV!" Scarlet screamed.

Scarlet?! God I hope she stays where she is...

"THE POWER IS OUT! You stay there missy! Or else ima give you a fine old whuppin. Hey, Nit, pass her some of them beans on the other side. Shh...she knows damn well she ain't full..." Mr. Darris said.

What if Scarlet were to come this way?

I waited for a while longer, but nothing else happened. It looks like I'm stuck here until they finish eating and hopefully, decide to go to bed...

I'm going to need Mr. Darris's keys to go to the basement...it can only be locked from the outside...

...

Lights. They're bright lights. It's not like the light is actually there, but I feel like something is shining on my eyes as I slowly wake up. I had slept in an uncomfortable position underneath the table. Luckily, I wasn't a snorer, or I would've probably been dead by now.

I hear something hitting the window, but it's not like the noise I heard hours earlier. It's probably raining outside. Then, there's thunder. Each time there's a bolt, I twitch, almost as though I were outside soaking in the cold rain and mud with the stench of blood still present everywhere.

I slowly extend my arm out from underneath the table and once my head is out, I look both ways. All of the candles are out, and that still doesn't cover the other miniature sounds that I hear down the hallway.

I start coming out from underneath the table, and once I'm clear, my eyes lock on the bottom of the stairs-just past the kitchen and the dining room. I don't check the corners of the walls because I know they're no cameras. Right now, I'm worried about Nit: the grandfather that's sleeping on the couch in the living across from the dining room.

I try my best not to make any noise, but what appauls me is that they didn't clean up the dining room table after they were finished eating. All of their food was still right there. Not knowing when my next meal would be if I died later, I reached out for the steak that was only half-cut, then, I heard someone flush the toilet in the bathroom near the bottom of the stairs.

THAT MUST BE JUSTIN! HIS FINGERS...

I think fast, almost too fast as I nearly bump into something while I stroll behind a wall-hiding.

I hear Justin limping towards the living room where Nit was presumably sleeping on the couch.

Why is he going towards Nit?

I hear more limping, then, I hear a loud bang followed by a loud gasp. Justin and Nit were fighting, and I could hear Nit struggling to regain his breath.

A loud stomp followed, then, followed by more stomps. I winced in disgust. Justin was stomping Nit's head in the ground because he knew he was too weak to take his anger out on Mr. Darris, so he went for Nit instead.

I should make my move now...

I know the other hiding spot I had was the latch. Before the family had gone crazy, I created multiple hiding spots because, even at my age, I was obsessed with hide and seek...

I quickly maneuvered towards the small sections near the bottom of the stairs and used the keys to open the latch. When I unlocked the latch, it made a small click noise that I was worried about. I crawled in the hiding spot and slowly closed the latch. Afterwards, I heard and felt the vibrations of Justin's footsteps getting closer. I closed my eyes, hoping he didn't know I was there.

He didn't.

Justin had walked past the latch.

And so, I wait. I wait until I vanish completely.